ISAAC CONSTRUCTION SUCCESS STORY ACHIEVING 100% VISIBILITY ACROSS EXPANDED AP OPERATIONS

BACKGROUNDAs a company that prides itself on paying on time, Isaac Construction faced new challenges in handling its accounts payable (AP) processes effectively. Following the purchase of Simcox Construction, those limitations of paper became painfully clear as increased volume exacerbated the situation. Simcox’s remote office made it very difficult for staff to see what was happening in the procurement cycle and the differences in the two companies’ AP processes compounded the problem.

Even prior to the acquisition, Isaac Construction’s AP team often spent time chasing documents. “One of the many problems with paper is you send it for authorisation, and it sits on someone’s desk. Another is that people aren’t always sure where invoices should go, so they get passed from person to person and can slip through the cracks,” Arlee Folkers, CFO, explained.

“We’ve always done our best to pay on time. It’s reputational; when you get it right, people like to work for you — but paper has its limitations,” Folkers added.

SOLUTIONAfter testing the market for potential solutions, Folkers engaged Fuji Xerox New Zealand for the implementation of Esker’s Accounts Payable automation software.

Isaac Construction’s AP staff members were eager to get the solution in, having been at the forefront of inadequate paper processes. “They were experiencing frustration and continual problems which had them feeling like they weren’t on top of the job.”

Isaac Construction was looking for an AP solution to address the following challenges:

§ Paper-based invoice approval process§ Time consuming data keying§ Double handling of documents§ Manual exception handling§ Lack of visibility in invoice processing

The implementation kicked off in February 2019 and the project went live just a few months later in July 2019.

Today, suppliers are required to send all invoices to a dedicated Isaac Construction inbox, which is auto-forwarded to Esker. Esker processes them, routes to the right people for approval, and then schedules payment in accordance with vendor terms. Because the entire system is electronic, paper is all but eliminated.

ABOUT ISAAC CONSTRUCTION

Industry: Civil ConstructionERP: NimbusSolution: Accounts Payable

Christchurch New Zealand-based Isaac Construction has earned a reputation for excellence by making sure everything it does is at the highest possible level of quality. Employing a team of more than 300 specialists, the company delivers a wide range of services, including construction, surfacing, bitumen products, transport, quarrying and professional contract management services. Isaac Construction recently acquired Blenheim’s Simcox Construction, adding a further 80 staff members active in civil construction, infrastructure works and earthmoving.

BENEFITSToday, Isaac Construction easily and accurately handles thousands of invoices every month, while enjoying complete visibility across its expanded operations.

Isaac Construction now enjoys complete visibility across the AP process. “If someone rings about their invoice, we can answer immediately because we can see it, when and to who it’s been submitted, as well as where it is in the process. And once an invoice is in our system, we can track every single one with absolute ease.”

As a cloud solution, and with a mobile application, Esker also allows AP and other staff who need to approve invoices to check and review from anywhere.

“We’ve appreciated the intelligence in the Esker system. For example, a client’s bank account changed but they didn’t notify us. Esker picked it up, though, and sent an alert so we could verify the legitimacy of the change.”

The visibility and workflow delivered by Esker also ensures Isaac Construction maintains its reputation with suppliers at its Christchurch and Blenheim operations.

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THE ENTIRE PROJECT WAS A PLEASURE. YOU DON’T HEAR THAT ABOUT MANY IMPLEMENTATIONS, BUT FUJI XEROX HAS SHOWN THAT WHEN YOU GET ALL THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN AT THE START, AND YOU HAVE A CLEAR IDEA OF WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, AN ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE PROJECT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A HEADACHE. AND BEST OF ALL, I KNOW I’LL NEVER HAVE TO LOOK FOR AN INVOICE AGAIN.” ARLEE FOLKERS | CFO

ESKER HAS ACCELERATED OUR AP PROCESS AND RELIEVED THE PRESSURE ON STAFF MEMBERS WHO WERE PUSHED TO THE LIMIT.” ARLEE FOLKERS | CFO

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www.esker.comEUROPE ASIA - PACIFICAMERICAS

ELIMINATED paper in the AP process

GREATER VISIBILITY into invoice statuses

REAL-TIME BUDGET control and alerts

COMPLETED PROCESS audit trail and KPI management

WEB-BASED & MOBILE INTERFACES for geographically spread business users

REALLOCATED RESOURCES to process invoices from two and a half people down to two